adopt microstamping that allows a bullet casing to be traced back to a particular gun

Another impediment to using public health tools to approach policy prioritization in reducing gun violence is the Congressional ban on CDC and NIH research on firearm violence. A coalition of physician groups has urged the ban be lifted. Even the ex-Congressman who introduced this ban, former Rep. Jay Dickey (R-Ark.), has since called for the ban to be lifted.

The Washington Post has also covered gun violence recently, pointing out the racial disparities in causes of gun related deaths. Among whites, 77 percent of gun deaths are suicides, but among black Americans, 82 percent of gun deaths are homicides.

Where do you begin to help the public health campaign against gun violence? One first stop is Organizing for Action’s gun violence prevention site. It contains several tools that you can use to take easy, online steps to reduce gun violence. It is a party affiliated web link. If you know of a good bipartisan or nonpartisan site for getting involved in doing more to prevent gun related violence, please share it in comments.